Separately, an organisation calling itself the Alliance for the Salvation of the Sahel has also formed to protect Fulani civilians from both Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso "against abuses", Yessouf Diallo, one of the group's leaders, told AFP.

Central Mali is a vast area where the state is near-absent and jihadists, blamed for exacerbating the squabble, roam with little constraint.

In its latest quarterly report on Mali, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said protection of civilians in the region has "further deteriorated".

Jihadist groups have "exacerbated" the violence between the two communities, causing an unprecedented number of civilian causalities in their operations targeting Malian and foreign forces, the report added.

The Fulani community routinely accuses the authorities of tolerating, or even encouraging, abuses against them by hunter groups as part of their fight against jihadists, which the government denies.

The unrest in the former French colony stems from a 2012 Tuareg separatist uprising against the state, which was exploited by jihadists in order to take over key cities in the north.

Although French forces removed the Al-Qaeda-linked groups from places such as Timbuktu, the insurgents have morphed into nimbler formations operating in rural areas, sometimes winning over local populations by providing basic services and protection from bandits.

Tell us a bit about yourself:

Saving your profile

Settings

News24 allows you to edit the display of certain components based on a location.
If you wish to personalise the page based on your preferences, please select a
location for each component and click "Submit" in order for the changes to
take affect.

Your Location*

Weather*

Always remember my setting

Saving your settings

Facebook Sign-In

Hi News addict,

Join the News24 Community to be involved in breaking the news.

Log in with Facebook to comment and personalise news, weather and listings.